Maharaja Hari Singh Birthday Holiday Exposes Jammu-Kashmir Fault Lines

A public holiday marking the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, has laid bare sharp regional and political divisions, with celebrations in Jammu contrasting with silence in the Kashmir Valley.

The holiday, observed on September 23, was approved by the Centre in 2022. It is notable because Maharaja Hari Singh is the only monarch of a former princely state in India whose birthday has been declared a public holiday. The same period saw the cancellation of the public holiday marking the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the first elected Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Another significant holiday, Martyrs' Day on July 13, was also removed after the abrogation of Article 370.

In Jammu, political parties and groups marked the occasion with tributes. The BJP paid floral homage to the Maharaja and organised separate functions at its party headquarters in Jammu and Srinagar. "I hope every generation will remember and celebrate the contributions the Maharaja has made for the country and Jammu and Kashmir," said BJP MLA Divyani Rana.

In the Kashmir Valley, the response was muted. The ruling National Conference described the Maharaja's reign as repressive. Its chief spokesman, Tanvir Sadiq, questioned the irony of the situation in a post on X. "A leader associated with land reforms that empowered the tiller and transferred land ownership to the poor has his holiday removed, while a holiday commemorating the ruler under whose reign Kashmiris endured repression is celebrated," he wrote, adding that the observation was a matter of historical fact rather than prejudice.

The dispute spilled into the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, where National Conference members demanded that the holiday on the Maharaja's birthday be withdrawn if the holiday on Sheikh Abdullah's anniversary was not restored. BJP legislators responded with slogans of "Maharaja amar rahey" (Long Live The King) and accused the NC of insulting his memory. NC members countered with "Sher-i-Kashmir Zindabad", referring to Sheikh Abdullah as the Lion of Kashmir and a symbol of democracy who opposed autocratic rule and secured rights for the people.

Several legislators, including those from the PDP, also pressed for the restoration of the July 13 holiday. Martyrs' Day traditionally involved official functions at the Martyrs' Graveyard to honour the 22 people killed during the 1931 uprising against the Dogra monarchy under British rule. After the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories in 2019, the day was dropped from the list of public holidays. Official commemorations and ceremonial police tributes were discontinued, and the cemetery area is sealed off on July 13, with no visitors permitted, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The unrest that followed the 1931 killings forced the Maharaja and the British Raj to restore some political rights. Two separate commissions were appointed to examine the grievances of the Muslim community in Kashmir, leading to limited political reforms. The first Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 1934, marking the start of the electoral process in the region, though the Maharaja retained sweeping powers on key matters until the British departed.